A Nation That Was About to Go to War

Commentary

This psalm is about a nation that was about to go to war. War is a terrible thing but there are times when it is the only possible answer to circumstances and there is no other solution. Throughout history God has frequently used war to bring rebellious nations to their knees. There comes a time as a nation when we may have to say: “That is enough. One step more and we will fight!”

In this psalm we see a nation, faced with the possibility of war, who was preparing their heart for what lies ahead. The first five verses express what the people want from their leader and the last four verses tell what the leader wants from the Lord. The people want a leader who is prayerfully in touch with God. They seemed to be saying: “You may be skillful, you may be successful, but are you spiritual? They wanted a king who had the power of God on his life. In turn the king is impressed by this challenge and sense of responsibility and goes to God in prayer.

Throughout history empires and kingdoms have risen to great power, only to vanish. However, David knew that the true strength of his nation was not in weaponry but in worship, not in fire power, but in God’s power. In the early days of our country our leaders expressed their trust in God but now as a nation we trust in our armaments. We have leaders who attend church and pay token allegiance to God, but we never hear them ask God to send spiritual revival. We could change verse 7 to say, “Some trust in tanks, and some trust in missiles, but we will put our hope in the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The details of history change, but God stays the same.

Application

As an individual I am in a spiritual warfare. Our enemies are unseen evil forces. If I want deliverance, I too, must have total dependence on God. The greatest weapons I have is the Word of God and my yielding to the Holy Spirit.